Roger Kaplan

Of the individuals mentioned as candidates for Secretary of State, what reassures is that they all are serious, prudent men. The question occurs, therefore, why the Washington yak-yak classes should raise their collective eyebrow at the possibility that with the choice by the President-elect of such as David Petraeus (USA, Ret.) or Stanley McChrystal (USA, […]

We at The American Spectator have nought but admiration for the cool, calm, and collected manner in which the president-elect is assembling what in Lincoln’s time was termed a team of rivals. As did Abraham Lincoln, who came to the presidency with less than a majority of the popular vote, Donald Trump finds that the […]

In forming a conservative foreign policy leadership, you need to hear two words: “More” and “No.” It appears these are the words President-elect Donald Trump wants to hear as he puts together the team that will defend the United States over the next years. More defines our defense capability. You cannot have too many guns. […]

Question: Sir, about letting bygones be bygones, did you mean it? The President-Elect: Yeah, I mean it. I’ve already decided not to follow up on some legal actions that were mentioned during the campaign. Really not worth it. Worth it, for sure, legally. But we have to move. We have to move on. I don’t […]

Stan Wawrinka, perennial Swiss number two behind Roger Federer, won the third grand slam tournament of his career and his first at the U.S. Open, taking three straight sets last night after dropping the first in a tie breaker. He beat defending champ Novak Djokovic, top seed, world number one. And he beat him the […]

You expect upsets at big tournaments, but how often do you get two of the biggest possible upsets two days in a row? Heavily favored Serena Williams got knocked out of the U.S. Open in a semifinal match by a tall young player who had got past the early rounds at a major. Playing the […]

Novak Djokovic won his first round match at the U.S. Open with a four-set match against Jerzy Janowicz, a tall (six-eight), brash, hot-tempered, big-server from Lodz, 25 years old. The top seed and world No. 1 showed good form and the injuries and “personal issues” of the summer used to explain the summer’s failure — […]

Rafael Nadal, former world number one and two-time winner at the U.S. Open, fairly cruised into the fourth round at the U.S. Open. Seeded fourth, the mighty Majorcan appeared to have fully recovered from the injuries that forced him to pull out of his favorite major, the French Open, in June. He won Olympic gold […]

The new Grandstand stadium at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the U.S. Open, was again the scene of an emotional American story Wednesday, as underdog Ryan Harrison defeated Milos Raonic in a three-hour display of grit and talent. After the sensational match between John Isner and Frances Tiafoe on opening day […]

With American men’s tennis still in the wilderness — our last Slam winner was Andy Roddick at the 2003 U.S. Open — it seems fitting that the 136th edition of the great tournament, the last of the year’s majors, is the scene of clashes between old and new. Such clashes are signs of renewal. At […]